NEW counter-terror units operated by Customs and Border Protection have begun at major airports and at least one “person of interest” has already been intercepted, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has revealed.

The Prime Minister told Parliament that the units have been established at Sydney and Melbourne international airports.

“I am advised that these new units have already intercepted at least one person of interest.”

Mr Abbott did not reveal where or when the person was intercepted.

Other units will soon be set up at “all international airports in Australia,” he added.

Mr Abbott said an extra 80 Border Protection officers stationed at airports will monitor the movement of those on “watch lists”.

In conflict ... ASIO boss David Irvine says it is believed 15 Australians have died in the current conflicts, including two suicide bombers.Source:Twitter

‘OUR FIGHT IS WITH TERRORSIM NOT ISLAM’: ASIO BOSS

The news came as ASIO director-general David Irvine said Australians should be thanking Muslim leaders for their help in fighting terrorism not blaming them.

David Irvine today argued it was wrong to think a tiny number of “violent extremists, who nevertheless could make a rather big bang” represent the Islamic people of Australia.

“We are talking about a few hundred abhorrent souls in a community of half-a-million Muslims and it’s grossly unfair to blame Australian Muslims who see themselves as a committed component of Australia’s multicultural society,” he told the National Press Club in Canberra.

“It’s wrong to be blaming them for the sins of a tiny minority.

“As the Government has said increasingly in recent times, our fight is with terrorism, it is not with Islam and it is not with our Muslim community.

“Recent uninformed criticism of the leadership of Australia’s Muslim community ignores the fact that most Muslim leaders, both civilian and spiritual, have striven hard to address the problem of a few misguided people in their midst.

“I know from my own experience that the problem in Australia would be far greater without their efforts.

Mr Irvine warned the terrorist threat against Australia “will be with us for some time into the future”.

“But I guess the point I want to make, most emphatically, is we should not allow that to panic us and we should not allow that to dominate our lives,” he said.

“We should be using the powers of the democratic state and the courts to protect both the community and individuals.”

The director-general said the threats from espionage and terrorism are “real” but “manageable” if agency’s maintain their vigilance.

The situation in Syria and Iraq has “radically complicated” the threats, he said, reporting about 60 Australians have gone to fight in the countries.

Another 100 are “actively” supporting them in Australia.

Mr Irvine said they believe 15 Australians have died in the current conflicts, including two suicide bombers.

“We have been long, in my time, monitoring a small number of Muslim Australians who support violent extremism, and who frequently express the aspiration of conducting terrorist attacks in Australia,” he told the National Press Club.

New units ... security has been upped at Melbourne and Sydney airports.Source:News Limited

THREAT HAS INCREASED

Irvine said 15 Australians, including two young suicide bombers, are believed to have died fighting in Syria and Iraq and warned that espionage and foreign intervention threats were increasing.

Canberra has expressed alarm that around 60 Australians have joined violent jihadist groups such as Islamic State (IS) overseas.

One Islamic State fighter, Australian man Khaled Sharrouf, sparked outrage when an image of his Sydney-raised son posing with the rotting head of a Syrian soldier was reportedly posted on Twitter.

“The draw of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq is significant and includes more Australians than any other previous extremist conflicts put together,” Irvine said.

He said ASIO believed the number of citizens posing a potential security threat had increased substantially as a result.

“ASIO believes there are about 60 or so Australians fighting with the two principal extremist Al-Qaeda derivatives, Jahabat-al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Syria or Iraq,” Irvine said.

“We believe 15 Australians have already been killed in the current conflicts, including two young Australian suicide bombers.”

Home-grown threat ... around 60 Australias are believed to have joined the fighting in Syria.Source:AFP

CONCERNS ABOUT A NEW GENERATION OF MILITANTS

Irvine said 100 more people in Australia were “actively supporting” these extremist groups by recruiting new fighters, grooming suicide bombing candidates, and providing funds and equipment.

Australia has boosted its efforts to counter terrorism on fears that the bloody conflicts in Iraq and Syria are creating a new generation of militants, including increasing spending on security and intelligence and strengthening terror laws.

Irvine said intelligence agencies were concerned about the dangers posed when some of these people - potentially with a commitment to violence and training in the use of weapons or bomb-making - returned to Australia.

He also warned that the age-old threats of espionage and foreign interference were on the rise against Australia.

“I can say that we are seeing growth in espionage and foreign interference against Australia, both through cyber and more traditional methods,” he said.

“Further, the threat to government information from self motivated malicious insiders has increased.”

Asked about the killing of United States journalist James Foley, beheaded on a graphic video posted online last week, Irvine said he had no view on whether media outlets should have shown the footage.

But he added: “It has, whether you liked it or not... brought home to us an understanding of the nature of what we are dealing with.”

They have been in a position to move quickly to “nip things in the bud”, when those they’ve monitored have turned from talk to active planning.

“Planning for a number of mass casualty attacks on our soil has been detected and the attacks have been thwarted.”

Earlier this month the Abbott government announced plans to inject another $630 million to help the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), AFP, ASIO and Customs and Border Protection.

The Coalition also wants to make it an offence to travel to ‘designated areas’ where terrorist organisations are conducting hostile activities unless there is a valid reason.